New Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel listens along with state represetnatives and senators by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer during her first State of the State address Tuesday Feb. 12, 2019 at the state Capitol in Lansing. (Jake May | MLive.com)

President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency for border wall funding is “an unconstitutional act,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Tuesday after joining a federal lawsuit to challenge the action.

Michigan joined 15 other states Monday evening in seeking a court injunction to stop Trump from declaring a national emergency to access funds to build a border wall.

Nessel told reporters Tuesday she viewed the lawsuit as an important step to stand up for the state of Michigan to ensure “the executive is not improperly absconding with funds that belong to our state."

“I see it as my job as Attorney General to make certain that the people of our state are protected against unconstitutional acts by the president,” she said. “We’re in this very strange set of circumstances right now where I don’t think the president of the United States cares very much about the Constitution.”

The lawsuit filed Monday seeks to “protect revenue, natural resources and economic interests” from Trump’s “flagrant disregard of fundamental separation of powers," according to a press release from the Michigan Attorney General’s office.

Nessel said she was especially worried about how the diversion of funding could impact the Michigan National Guard.

“I’m very concerned that this money for this manufactured emergency is going to divert funds that can be utilized for our safety and protection here in the state of Michigan,” Nessel said.

Trump declared the emergency on Friday to obtain about $8 billion for building a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico.

Joining Attorney General Nessel in the lawsuit led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Virginia.

In a tweet, Trump said the reaction was predictable and “led mostly by Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left.”

As I predicted, 16 states, led mostly by Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left, have filed a lawsuit in, of course, the 9th Circuit! California, the state that has wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train, with no hope of completion, seems in charge!